Trick of the trade: I got ultrasound gel in my eye!

OcularUltrasoundProbeBedside ultrasonography is increasingly being used in the ED to examine the eye. For instance, it can be used to detect a retinal detachment, vitreous hemorrhage, and high intracranial pressure. The technique involves applying ultrasound gel on the patient’s closed eyelid. A generous amount of gel should be used to minimize the amount of direct pressure applied on the patient’s eye by the ultrasound probe.

Sometimes, however, no matter how careful you and the patient are, some gel accidentally contacts the eye itself.


By |2019-01-28T23:23:16-08:00Sep 15, 2010|Tricks of the Trade, Ultrasound|

Tricks of the Trade: Diagnosing retinal detachment with ultrasound

In a sneak peek of my ACEP News’ Tricks of the Trade column, Dr. Patrick Lenaghan, Dr. Ralph Wang, and I will discuss how bedside ultrasonography can significantly improve your ocular exam.

Here is a classic example. A patient presents with acute onset right eye pain and blurry vision. She possibly has a field cut in her vision. Her pupils are a teeny 2 mm in size in the brightly-lit Emergency Department. You are having a hard time getting a good fundoscopic exam to comfortably rule-out a retinal detachment.


By |2019-01-28T23:53:04-08:00Dec 9, 2009|Ophthalmology, Tricks of the Trade, Ultrasound|